Thuzio raises $6 mln in Series A funding from investor group

Thuzio, a marketplace where businesses can book talent for sales and marketing, has raised $6 million in Series A funding from individuals and firms. Investors in the funding include RSE Ventures, Prudence Holdings, East Asset Management, former NBC Sports executive producer Michael Weisman and former Vistage CEO Rafael Pastor.

Press Release

Thuzio (www.thuzio.com), a marketplace where businesses book Talent for sales and brand activation, has raised $6 million in Series A funding from a variety of individuals and institutions connected with sports, technology, talent and sales activation.

This latest round of financing will be used to grow the company’s online network of 2,500+ athletes and other sports celebrities, expand its sales and marketing efforts, build its technology enabling businesses to identify and access the right Talent, and grow the Thuzio Executive Club (www.thuzioexecutiveclub.com) nationwide.

“We are thrilled to have such a deeply engaged and consistently helpful group of investors in our shareholder base,” said CEO Jared Augustine.

Since its launch in 2012, Thuzio has redefined Talent activation through transparent pricing and an online platform that enables customers to access thousands of talent for experiences and events. The company’s thousands of clients include EY, Yahoo!, the Young President’s Organization, Burger King, Esquire, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Benjamin Moore, Bonobos, Klout, ProShares and Amerisource Bergen — from industries such as private banking, pharmaceutical distribution, construction, legal services, specialty finance, insurance, retail, professional associations, sports & entertainment, media, philanthropy and investment management. Approximately 90 percent of the company’s business is corporate (business.thuzio.com).

“The transparency of Thuzio’s marketplace allowed us to streamline our local marketing outreach and budget accordingly,” said Jennifer Cho, National Director of M2W, a marketing agency working on behalf of MetroPCS. “With up-front pricing, we could focus on matching the right athletes with the store locations where they’d could drive the most traffic.”

Customers use Thuzio for many purposes — including client dinners, having Talent play their sport against a company’s guests, keynote speeches, corporate appearances, video greetings, hosted Q&A’s, and much more, all with real time ROI for brands, marketers and agencies.

“I do a tremendous amount of business development activities, and Thuzio provides me with a truly unique tool to enhance such activities by including athletes,” said Michael Rupe, a partner at King & Spaulding LLP. “I am a repeat Thuzio Booking customer and member of the Thuzio Executive Club, because including Thuzio’s Talent in business development events increases my business. Spending quality time with Thuzio’s Talent is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and, most importantly, for my clients.”

“Thuzio has been an instrumental part in the sales and attendance growth in our appearance program,” said Jason Fiddler, Director of Museum Sales and Operations at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “They have an incredible understanding of the industry and their wide talent base sets them apart from all others.”

Thuzio is co-founded and co-chaired by Tiki Barber, the New York Giants all-time leading rusher and Mark Gerson, the co-founder of Gerson Lehrman Group, United Hatzalah and the African Mission Healthcare Foundation.

About Thuzio
Thuzio (www.thuzio.com) is the world’s largest marketplace for Sports Talent. Thuzio enables businesses and consumers to access professional athletes, coaches, and media personalities for experiences and events.